A.D.D. Coping Strategies for Entrepreneurs

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Manic entrepreneurs have a hard time focusing. When we do focus, it's like a laser beam - until our ADD kicks in and pulls us on to something else.

How do I work with my ADD and actually get thing accomplished? It's all about routine, baby. If I have a schedule and a list of things to do, it helps tremendously with focus and productivity.

Here are four tips I've learned through experience:

1) Schedule everything. If it's important, schedule it. I actually even schedule time with my kids in the morning. If I didn't, it might not happen in the am. My morning schedule looks like this:

5am - 6am: Read, write, improve my Italian with Rosetta Stone and catch up on some work/e-mails. (I usually get to two out of four.)

6am - 7am: Exercise (I eat way too much, so if I didn't do this, my fingers would be too fat to type this blog entry. Plus it helps with mental focus throughout the day.)

7am - 7:30: Have breakfast with wife and kids.

8:15 - 8:30: Arrive at The Next Step Magazine offices.

This morning schedule really works for me, partly because I don't leave it to fate; I schedule it!

2) Have meetings! Schedule a weekly meeting with your management staff, reports, sales staff, etc. Make them as quick as possible - one hour, max. That's the attention span of any manic entrepreneur anyway. I find more-frequent-but-shorter meetings to be very effective.

3) Check email only 2 to 3 times a day. It keeps you away from email quicksand. Also, the less you respond, the fewer emails you'll get back!

4) Be a list taskmaster. I am actually a list freak. I prioritize the things that I need to do, and I don't start #2 until I finish #1. Otherwise, I'd be working on 10 things at once and nothing would get done.

I'll pass along more tips as they come to me. And please share your strategies.